


Race the Dark

by Beneath_the_Trees



Series: Of Fire and Fae [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Death, Mentions of pokemon death, Original Legendary Pokemon, Original Pokemon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21751267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beneath_the_Trees/pseuds/Beneath_the_Trees
Summary: Cian didn't enjoy battling, at least not the way people like Leon did. That's part of why he dropped the gym challenge not long after befriending Leon, Sonia, and Raihan when he met them in Ballonlea. The other part was that, really, as much as he looked up to Opal, hereallydidn't want to be her successor.  He wanted to learn about the world, learn each region's legends and just... enjoy what the world had to offer. He didn't see the need to fight and become Ballonlea's gym leader when adventure was practically two steps away.So when he feels a pull in his chest, calling him back to Galar after five years away, he doesn't fight it. Returning home to find out Leon had finally been defeated... well, that was rather small compared to the surprises waiting for him.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Of Fire and Fae [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567699
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

The steady rhythm of hooves hitting packed dirt echoed in the silent forest, followed closely by quiet urges from a trainer racing through the trees on a Rapidash's back.

"Come on, boy, a little faster now," The trainer murmured, fingers tangled in the pastel mane. He fought the urge to look over his shoulder. "We're almost out." 

The Rapidash let out a snort that almost sounded like a scoff, but the trainer's wish was granted; the scenery around them sped past just the littlest bit faster. 

"There he is!"

Dark brown hair stung his eyes as the trainer whipped around, the tension returning to his shoulders when he noticed their pursuers drawing ever closer. Letting out a curse, the trainer turned back around and lightly patted his Rapidash's neck, urging him forward. "Faster, Raps, faster!"

Raps let out a cry, pushing himself even harder. The trainer bit his lip; if they got caught, it was over. His eyes widened as one of the pursuers pulled out a pokéball, tossing it into the air and releasing the pokémon inside.

"Golbat! Use confuse ray!" The Golbat let out a cry as it did as told, a small, glowing orb beginning to form in its mouth.

The trainer's eyes were glued to the orb; it would be on them in seconds. "Go left, Raps," The trainer breathed, watching as the orb shot towards the two. 

It was headed straight for them.

Raps had yet to turn.

The trainer's heart lodged itself in his throat; the orb was getting closer, nearly touching Raps' tail--

"Raps, _left!"_

A yelp left the trainer as Raps took a sharp left, the orb disappearing as it hit the tree where Raps would have been. He barely had time to duck, just missing getting smacked in the face by a branch as they turned. The yelp became a startled scream as Raps wasted no time in leaping over a deep river; he was pretty sure he'd never hugged his Rapidash tighter than he had then. 

They weren't going to make it.

They were going to fall.

They were going to fall, Raps would break his leg, and they were going to get caught, they were going to _get caught_ \--

Screwing his eyes shut and clinging to Raps, the trainer waited for the inevitable. 

The sound of hooves landing on dirt rang loud in his ears; he flinched as the impact jolted him forward, his eyes flying wide open. Shocked yelps and splashes filled the air moments later as their pursuers fell into the water; someone shrieked they couldn't swim. 

The Golbat let out a shrill cry, gearing up for another attack as Raps turned around to face the river. Letting out a snort, Raps was quick to use psybeam and knocked out the weaker pokémon with little problem; it fell into the water with a shrill cry.

For a moment, the trainer couldn't believe what just happened.

Taking the distraction, Raps turned and headed through the forest. 

As everything finally caught up to him, the trainer began to laugh, his grip on Raps' mane loosening.

"Oh, thank Arceus," He breathed, slumping in his seat and smiling gratefully down at his Rapidash. "Raps, you are getting the largest serving of poffins and curry tonight, I promise you that."

Raps nickered, his footsteps turning lighter as he pranced at the praise. The trainer leaned forward and hugged Raps' neck. "Now let's get out of here, yeah? We should get back to the city before curfew." 

Throwing his head up in a nod and returning to his steady gallop, Raps headed for the exit.

When they finally made it out of the forest, the trainer realized he had absolutely no idea where they were. They'd entered it closer to Lake Valor, but by the time they found the research lab and escaped the guards, he'd gotten completely turned around. "Rotom." 

His Rotom phone buzzed as it came to life, floating to be in front of the trainer's face. _"Yes, Cian?"_

"Which town is closest?"

Rotom's face blipped from the screen, replaced by his map of Sinnoh. _"Hearthome City is closest,"_ It said, the city flashing blue. " _It will take two hours to arrive with Rapidash's current pace."_

Cian groaned. "Two hours?" He repeated, glancing over his shoulder warily. "That gives those radge bastards way too much of a head start." He turned back to Rotom. "Any shortcuts?"

Rotom's screen blipped as it searched for an answer. When it came back empty-handed, Cian nearly smacked himself. 

"Of _course_ there aren't any. Why would there be? The route is already the shortest damn way from point A to B, you stupid idiot." He grumbled. 

Letting out a heavy sigh and accepting the fact he'd have to cut his night in town short, Cian told Rotom to go back to sleep.

He ran his hands through Raps' mane, sighing again as he looked down at his partner. "Alright Raps: get us to Hearthome, and you can rest for as long as you like. Kane can take us the rest of the way to after that, 'kay?" 

Raps let out another snort, pawing at the ground and nodding. Cian smiled and kissed just between Raps' ears. "Thank you, you're the best."

Thankfully the route was deserted at this time of night; as Raps headed for the city, Cian could let his mind wander.

It wasn't a good sign that those people were here in Sinnoh, too.

While Cian had already come across similar labs and bases in Kanto, Johto, and Unova, none of them had been as active as this one had. It was like they were just barely getting started in those areas. And while the fact they had that far a reach was terrifying, what they were doing was worse. He just wished he knew what their goal was, or even who they were.

What did they get from these experiments? From making pokémon abandon their homes? From what he'd seen, these people hated pokémon with a passion, and yet they were experimenting on pokémon eggs.

Perhaps that was why they were so cruel.

The sight he'd seen in the lab was burned into his eyes: shattered pokémon eggs, holes drilled into the shells, eggs stuck in boxes that acted as ovens or freezers--

Something sharp dug itself into Cian's ribs; he screwed his eyes shut, taking a slow, shaking breath. His stomach rolled. 

Focusing on the steady movement of Raps beneath him, Cian pulled his thoughts away from the lab. The focus helped him relax, pull his scattering thoughts together, and figure out where to go next.

Something familiar ever so slightly pulled at his chest: there was something in the air, something forming in the distance. Cian almost felt like he could see the thin trail of light that wove across the regions, leading him towards wherever it wanted him to go. 

It was there and gone, a small pressure against his sternum all that remained. That was all he needed; he already knew where the feeling led. 

When they got to the city, Cian spent at _least_ thirty minutes in the Poffin House. Needless to say, the number of poffins he was making had most of the patrons staring in shock. 

After today, though? Raps and the others deserved to get a little bit fatter for just how good they've been, and their day wasn't even over yet.

Raps couldn't enjoy his treats immediately since he was taking a well-deserved nap in his pokéball. Cian's Arcanine, Kane, on the other hand, deserved five right at this very moment: after all, he was going to be taking Cian to Canalave in record time.

Though he wanted to stay and make more, the pokémon eggs in his bag only served as a reminder that he needed to get a move on. So after making enough poffins to fill both his poffin case and an extra container to the brim, he waved goodbye and left the city. When his feet were on the packed dirt of the road, he released Kane from his pokéball, fed him a few poffins, and swung himself onto Kane's back. 

After making sure his trainer was settled, Kane got to his feet and bounded down Route 208.

\----

Canalave was a quiet town, especially at night. 

Normally Cian liked the quiet. But considering how he needed to get to Galar asap, he really wished Canalave was more active: the least they could've done was run the boats more often. 

At least the local pokémon center was still open. Though he just barely managed to get a room before their curfew, he couldn't deny that the privacy was well worth the close call.

He flopped back onto the soft bed of his room, letting himself sink into the mattress. He drank in the perfume of the flowers on the desk and let the tension fade. After a few minutes, he sat up and grabbed his backpack.

He pulled out an egg.

Now, Cian didn't consider himself an expert when it came to pokémon eggs. Didn't really consider himself an expert in a lot of things. But thanks to his travels across the regions, he liked to think he knew pretty well what each egg hatched into. 

This egg-- and all the other eggs in his bag, however, were complete mysteries. Never had he seen these kinds of markings before, not even once. 

The egg in his hands shimmered in the lamplight, colors nearly dancing off the walls. The base of the shell was silvery, rainbow streaks wrapped around it like a bird's wings. 

"Hm..." Carefully, he turned the egg around in his hands, running his thumbs along the rough surface. "Rotom, video call Sonia." 

A chime from his phone signaled the call had started; belatedly, Cian hoped it wasn't as late there as it was here in Sinnoh-- he was terrible with time zones.

He sat up from his bed as the call tried to go through, taking his phone and the egg before heading for the desk. A final beep sounded, there on the screen was one of Cian's closest friends: Sonia. And after tonight, her bright smile was a welcome sight.

"Cian!"

"Hey Sonia," Cian said, smiling and giving the screen a wave. "How've you been?"

"I've been good," Sonia replied. "Why the video call, though? Isn't it super late where you are?"

Cian didn't bother giving her a proper answer about the time and shrugged, preferring to get straight to the point. "I actually came across something weird," He explained, "And since you're a professor's assistant, I was hoping you or your gran might know what it is?"

Sonia burst into laughter, though Cian had no idea why. He frowned at her in confusion. "What?"

"Sorry!" She giggled, placing a hand over her mouth to try and hide her smile. "I totally forgot you have no clue what happened the past couple of years." 

The comment stung a bit, even though he knew she was teasing. Cian did his best to keep up with his friends, really, but with all these evil experiments and legends to learn about, he'd fallen behind pretty fast. "Sorry," He mumbled, not bothering to give a better explanation: that was a conversation they'd need to have in person. "Could you explain?"

It was hard to miss the pride in her eyes, blinding and brilliant as she announced, "I'm not an assistant anymore."

For a moment, Cian couldn't believe what he'd heard. Last time he talked with Sonia, she hadn't really seemed all that eager to become a professor herself. Then he took a closer look: her tan jacket was gone, replaced by the stark white of a professor's lab coat, and her smile was happier than he last remembered seeing it. Cian's jaw almost dropped.

Another giggle slipping from her lips, Sonia gave Cian a sly smile and leaned back in her chair. She crossed her arms behind her head, letting out a happy sigh. "Leon had the same reaction, I swear."

"When did this happen?!"

"About... two years ago? Something like that." She shrugged a shoulder and leaned forward again, her expression turning serious. "Now, what do you want to show me?"

"Oh, right." Her question pulled Cian from his shock, reminding him of why he video called in the first place. He held up the egg for Sonia to see. "See, I was in one of the forests around here and--"

"Whoa!" Sonia leaned in close to her Rotom like it would make it easier for her to see the egg, her eyes wide. "I've never seen an egg like that before!"

Well, there went Cian's one hope of figuring out what kind of creature it was. "You haven't?"

Shaking her head, Sonia frowned as she leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Nope, never." She said, eyes going to somewhere above her phone. "I could head over to the nursery on Route 5 though, see if they know anything. I bet they'd love having it."

While he knew she meant well, the thought of the eggs going to a daycare made Cian's stomach twist. Not just his conscience, but something deep within his chest was telling him that giving the eggs to a daycare would be one of the worst moves of his life. He didn't know anything about the ones who'd taken the eggs or where they were getting them-- if it was one of the breeders, he couldn't risk placing them right back in their hands.

Instead he said, "Nah, I'm planning on heading back to Galar in the morning, so don't worry about it."

Now it was Sonia's turn to be stunned into silence, her mouth hanging open and eyes growing wide. "You're coming back?" She asked. "Really?"

Wow, how little faith did his friends have in him? "I mean, _yeah._ I said I was, didn't I?"

"Well, sure! But you haven't visited in the past five years! And, I don't know," She shrugged, looking away. "I kinda thought it'd be even longer before we saw you again after that."

Okay, he had to admit that was fair.

Sure, Cian loved Galar the most out of all the regions he'd been to, but there just wasn't much time to visit it when he had so many legends to learn and this weird group of people to figure out. It didn't make him feel any better about being away from his friends, though. 

"Well, I'm going to be there by the end of the week," He said, smiling brightly at Sonia. "And I'll be staying for a while if I can help it."

"Awesome!"

Someone called for Sonia off-screen; she let out a responding shout before turning back to Cian. "I've got to go, my assistant's calling." Leaning in close, she whispered, "See you soon, Cian! Don't tell anyone else you're coming back though, got it?" Sonia leaned back with a wink, chuckling as she said, "It'll be a super surprise!"

Cian _did_ enjoy surprising Leon with his visits. Hop was fun to surprise, too: it would be nice to surprise them after so long, if Chairman Rose even let Leon come in the first place.

His smile turned into a frown before he could stop himself. Chairman Rose was a breed of man that Cian did not like, no matter how high of praise Leon naively had of the man. Aside from the fact he rarely let Leon do what he wanted, there was something about the man that made Cian uneasy. 

"Cian?"

Cian blinked, snapping out of his thoughts like a rubber band. "Sorry," He said, masking his annoyance at Chairman Rose with a laugh. "Yeah, that sounds like fun! If you can get everyone there, I'll get off at..." He did his best to picture Galar's layout in his mind. "Wedgehurst?" He paused again, mind flitting to Leon, possibly stuck in Wyndon for whatever reason. "Or should we aim for Wyndon? Hammerlocke?" This time his laugh was genuine, sheepish even. "Where do you all hang out lately?" 

Bringing up a hand to his chin in thought, he almost missed Sonia's laugh. He glanced back at the screen to see her smiling and laughing with amusement. She waved her hand, answering the question for him.

"Come to Wedgehurst! We'll all be there, don't worry your pretty little head about it." 

He could clearly imagine her patting his head as she spoke, had they been in person. 

"Anyway, I've seriously got to go. See you in a few days, Cian!"

"Right, see you!"

He'd barely gotten out his goodbye went the video call went black, the dual-tone beep filling the air as Cian let out a groan. Turning off his phone, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling: he was exhausted.

Grabbing the egg again, Cian held it back up to the light and watched the colors shimmer across his fingertips. It really was a beautiful egg: he was excited to see what it'd hatch into.

He just hoped it hatched at all.

\----

Wedgehurst hadn't changed in the five years Cian had been gone. He thought something would have, be it the people living there or the buildings, but no. Everything looked the same, and to Cian, that was amazing.

"Cian!"

He looked up from his bag when his name was called, scanning the sparse crowd for the one who'd spoken, and grinned when he saw Sonia and Yamper standing at the outskirts of the station, waving.

"Over here!"

"Sonia!" Cian rushed over to the region's newest pokémon professor and tackled her in a hug, laughing as he did. "Long time no see!"

Sonia laughed as Cian spun her around, Yamper barking at their heels. "Oh, it's so wonderful to see you!" She chirped, giving his shoulders a squeeze when he set her back down. "Come on, the others are waiting at the lab; I told them I was just going to the store."

Stepping back to lead the way, Sonia raised an eyebrow as she noticed his lack of luggage. "Wow, five years away and nothing to bring back?"

"No," Cian laughed, returning to rummaging through his bag. " Not really. I _do_ have something for you in here somewhere, though... ah! Here we go." He pulled the gift from where it'd fallen to the bottom of the bag, trying not to give anything away as he watched her open it. The gasp she let out was well worth it.

"It looks like it has a wishing star in it, doesn't it?"

Sonia brought the fossil closer to her face as she inspected it, eyes filled with excitement. "It does!!! Oh, this is so cool! Thanks!"

"And _this_ ," Cian announced, opening his poffin case and taking one out. "Is for Yamper." 

Yamper let out a bark, leaping high in the air. Cian knelt down beside the small electric-type, laughing as Yamper chomped it down happily. 

Sonia giggled. "Aw, you didn't have to do that, Cian. We really appreciate it."

He smiled, shrugging his shoulders as he grabbed Raps' pokéball and let him out. "I'm glad you like them," He said, watching as Yamper and Raps greeted each other. "So how've things been?"

"Oh, things have been great!" Sonia grinned, petting Raps' muzzle when he came over to greet her. "Not as crazy as they were two years ago, but we've learned so much!"

It wasn't long before they reached the lab. And while Cian thought it'd just be a simple "walk in and celebrate" kind of welcome, Sonia wanted to make it a bit more special. Unable to say no, Cian and Raps found themselves standing off to the side and waiting for her to give the signal. Sonia purposefully left the door open, so Cian could hear everything that happened.

"Sonia, there you are!" A voice said from inside the lab. Just by the energy alone, he knew the person speaking was Hop. Then a second voice joined the mix, and Cian felt the air get knocked from his lungs.

"Didn't you say you were going to the store?"

Leon.

Leon was actually _here_.

A smile spread across Cian's face the moment the fact actually registered. Leon being here was something he had barely dared to hope for, much less actually expect. It stunned Cian enough that he almost missed Sonia giving him his cue.

Actually, he _would_ have missed it if it weren't for Raps nudging him forward.

The first thing Cian noticed upon entering the lab was that Leon was dressed entirely different. 

Gone was the red cape covered in sponsors, the white short-shorts and leggings, the striped shirt with sword and shield. Now, Leon was dressed in an old-timey noble kind of look, red and black and somehow more Leon than anything Cian had seen him wear since they were kids. He still had one of his infamous snapbacks, because of course he did, only this one was all black and had no design as far as Cian could tell.

The second thing was that he immediately found himself tackled by two-- no, three-- people and knocked to the floor.

"Cian!" They cried as Raps and Charizard reunited outside. Cian was glad he'd found proper incubators for the eggs before leaving Canalave: they might've been crushed otherwise.

"Surprise!" Cian shouted with a laugh, hugging back whoever was in front of him. Judging by the bright orange headband, it was Raihan. "I'm back!"

When he hugged Hop, Cian found he'd grown quite a bit, and if his hug with Leon happened to be a bit longer than it should've... well, he certainly wasn't going to say anything about it.

"It's been forever, mate," Hop said, practically vibrating from excitement. "It's about time you came back!"

Laughing again, Cian rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ha, sorry. Been busy." His eyes drifted away from Hop and towards Leon, raising an eyebrow at the frilly ascot around his neck. "What'd I miss?"

Leon huffed, smiling brighter than Cian had seen in years. "You missed Hop's pokémon journey, for one thing."

"Yeah," Hop agreed with his brother, frowning at Cian and crossing his arms over his chest. "You totally missed me getting to the semi-finals of the championship!"

Shaking his head, Cian couldn't help but smile. "Not exactly. I watched it on my Rotom phone when I could." His smile grew a bit wider as he looked over to Hop's Dubwool. "You both fought gallantly. It was a pretty close battle between you and Gloria!"

Hop's cheeks turned pink; he looked away, letting out a bashful laugh. "Aw, thanks. I've retired from battling though: I'm Sonia's assistant now!" As he spoke, he puffed his chest out with pride, which Cian was relieved to see. Even through the screen of his Rotom phone, Hop had looked defeated and lost.

"He didn't even tell you one of the best parts," Leon said, grinning brightly. He threw an arm over Hop's shoulders. "Hop here has a _legendary pokémon_ on his team: Zamanzentia! Can you believe it?!"

To say Cian's jaw dropped was an understatement. To say he was amazed was an understatement. Cian was downright thunderstruck.

"You _caught a legendary?!_ "

Hop's bashfulness only grew. He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes glued to the ground. "Yeah, but, I mean..."

"Dude." Cian could already see where Hop's thoughts were going and placed his hands on Hop's shoulders. He leaned down a bit, making their eyes meet. "You caught. A legendary. That's fucking amazing! Be _proud_ of that," He said, making sure his awe and pride showed in each word. "Legendaries only show themselves to those they think worthy, and only let themselves be _caught_ by people they trust."

Hop was silent, eyes wide from shock. Cian made sure not to break his gaze with Hop. He moved back only once the doubt had faded from the younger man's eyes, giving him a smile as he did. 

Cian turned to Leon. "So..." He motioned to Leon's new outfit. "Did Rose finally let you dress like you want, or...?"

Jaw dropping, Raihan let out a sound that was suspiciously close to a squawk of indignance. He threw his arm over Cian's shoulders. "Don't tell me you didn't watch it!" He gasped, "The greatest match in all of Galar's history?"

At Cian's shake of his head, everyone in the room, pokémon included, stared at him like he'd grown a second head. 

And while it made sense-- _everyone_ watched the finals of Galar's Gym Challenge-- he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. He meant to, he really did, but he'd forgotten to record it on his phone. Then the activities in those strange labs started getting more frequent and, well, it kind of... slipped his mind. Cian had just assumed it was Raihan and Leon again these past two years, but was he wrong?

Laughing nervously, one of Cian's hands tugged at a strand of his hair. Meekly, he said, "I've been busy?"

Raihan's stare turned even flatter, if that was possible. "Dude."

Cian winced, giving the group a sheepish smile.

Thankfully, Leon and Sonia were okay with summarizing what happened to him.

"I lost the match; Gloria's the new champion now."

"And Rose is no longer in charge of the league-- he almost brought about the second darkest day."

Cian blinked; he had to have heard wrong. Did Sonia just say Rose nearly brought about a second darkest day? "I'm-- I'm sorry?"

Listening to the story the four in front of him told, Cian could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was almost fantastical, except he could clearly see the results of the tale right in front of him. But most of all, Cian was dismayed he'd _missed it_.

The whole reason he'd left Galar in the first place, to learn about the other myths and legends in the world, and he missed as it played out in his own region. So not only was he not there to support his friends, but he'd completely missed one of the most amazing things to happen to Galar in _centuries_. 

"Well damn," He huffed, laughing a bit as he placed his hands on his hips. "Sounds like I should have started my travels three years later than I did."

The group nodded, but before the mood turned stale, Sonia was quick to bring it back. "Oh, come now! If you haven't been able to come back for five years, then you've obviously been doing something important!" She paused, smiling hopefully, "Especially with those eggs you told me you found."

At the mention of the eggs, Cian protectively put a hand on his backpack. "Oh, right." He tapped on his bag, looking down as four curious pairs of eyes locked onto him. "Well, that's... That's a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

The others exchanged glances for only a moment before they turned back to Cian, mixed expressions of determination and excitement on their faces.

"Go for it."


	2. Chapter 2

Though they said Cian could tell them, he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to-- it could be dangerous to have so many people know. But if Cian wanted their help, they needed to know just what was going on.

Especially before the people doing these things came to Galar.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair and pushing it from his face. “…Okay, I’ll tell,” He said, pointing at the others and leveling them with a small glare. “But you can’t tell _anyone_ about this, y’hear me? It’s top secret.”

“You have our word,” Leon said, grinning as he did. Beside him, Hop and Sonia nodded eagerly. “So spill it already!”

Cian looked away, still not 100 percent sure he was doing the right thing in telling them about this, and started from the beginning.

\----

It started in Johto.

Cian was staying in Azalea Town at the time, studying the local legends, when reports of pokémon fleeing the forests and routes around Ecruteak City came through town.

All the pokémon swarmed the cities and towns, afraid to leave and agitated by _something_ that none of the humans could find. Though it was odd, Cian hadn't thought much of it at the time. He'd assumed it was something that could be sorted out with ease. 

When the police turned up empty after a few weeks of searching, he realized just how bad it was.

Gyms were becoming impossible to beat without training. Construction screeched to a stop as pokémon refused to come to work. The seas and rivers couldn't be passed over because the water pokémon had disappeared.

So Cian took it upon himself to investigate.

In hopes that it was only Johto pokémon getting affected, he searched from atop Raps' back. Except Raps was just as affected as the other pokémon around; he couldn't even get off the trails without Raps growing uneasy, so Cian changed to going around on foot. Perhaps it would be easier that way, or maybe he'd have less luck finding the source.

Eventually, his searching led him to the north of Ecruteak City, where a forest unlike any of the others rested. He stared up at the silent trees, and he knew this was the place he needed to be.

It was disconcerting in a terrible way how the woods didn't move. His footsteps echoed louder than they should; golden leaves stayed still, frozen in time.

There was nothing. All the pokémon were gone, hiding in town or other wild areas.

And for the longest time, that's how it stayed. Cian hiked deeper into the forest, tensed and waiting for something, anything to pounce. The longer he walked the more he realize just how stupid it was to do this without telling anyone: with his Raps too uneasy to leave his pokéball, Cian was defenseless. And what if this wasn't something he could handle on his own? What if it was a pokémon that scared the others away? 

The silence gave him too much time to think.

He tried to think of other things: of Leon and Charizard, of his other friends. Of where he'd go next, or what he'd learned about the region's legendaries. He mostly thought of Raps and if he was doing alright in his pokéball, or if he should have left him with Nurse Joy, back at the pokémon center. It was too late to turn back now, of course, but he couldn't help but worry. What if they were getting closer, and Raps was in pain from whatever chased him away?

The thought made him sick to his stomach. He hated the idea of his partner getting hurt, especially if he was the cause, and to say he felt stupid for totally forgetting to leave Raps with Nurse Joy was putting it lightly.

Having Raps next to him, though, even in his pokéball, was comforting. He felt safe, knowing that Raps was there if he needed to make a quick getaway.

A faint humming filled his ears as the sun began to set over the forest.

High pitched and grating, the hum came in long intermittent bursts. It echoed through the trees and wrapped around him in a way that made his head dizzy. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on where the sound was loudest, but the longer Cian listened the more it felt like the sound was bouncing around in his head.

Cian's eyes flew open as the world tilted out from under him; he threw out his arms, holding onto the side of the tree as he tried to regain his bearings. His stomach churned uncomfortably. "Okay," He breathed, wrapping his arm around his middle. "Definitely found what was upsetting the pokémon."

The sound seemed to abate now that he'd figured out what it was, though Cian wasn't sure how much more he could take of the constant buzz. He could easily see why it chased so many pokémon away: it was at a frequency most humans couldn't hear, but pokémon could hear it loud and clear. If it made them anywhere near as sick as they were making Cian, it was no wonder they ran.

Now he just had to locate whatever was causing the sound and stop it.

Which, in theory, would probably be easy enough. But as he looked out at the expanse of forest still stretching before him, he could tell that it would take a lot longer than he was comfortable with. There was a reason no one ever went this deep into these woods: he was lucky no phantumps or litwicks lived here, otherwise he would already be dead on a normal day. Whoever was responsible certainly knew what they were doing, too. If it hadn't been for Cian's drive for the unknown and love of pokémon, they might've never been caught; the thing creating the frequency was deep enough in the forest that few of them would actually bother coming out this far, which meant it would have been undiscovered for who knows how long.

The fact the sound was giving him a massive headache didn't help, either. Cian almost had half a mind to turn back around and come back tomorrow, but something in his chest was telling him that it would be a bad idea to leave now and he was never one to ignore his instincts.

He kept walking for what must've been hours, doing his best to ignore the steadily growing headache and nausea. He'd had no further luck in figuring out where the sound was coming from, and though he'd been doing his best to keep moving in a straight line, Cian had a feeling that he'd gotten himself lost.

Was this how Leon felt, every time he had to go somewhere?

Cian sighed as he headed through the trees, glancing at the night sky. Why was it so hard to locate the damned thing? It wasn't like the forest was endless-- he should've found _something_ by now. Instead he was stuck wandering, searching for the slightest change in sound in hopes of finally coming across whatever was making that awful pitch.

It was then that he noticed it: a blue-green and purple light in the distance. With a grin spreading across his face and excitement making his heart race, Cian began to follow it.

Cold and unfeeling, the light grew to the point of blinding the same time the hum of the noise grew into a crescendo. As the sound faded into the lull between bursts, so did the light. Cian could tell he was getting closer as the sound's volume grew as well, and if it weren't for the fact he was so close to being able to stop it he would have already succumbed to the splitting headache it brought.

His steps fell faster the more concentrated the light became, walk turning into a run and buzz of noise making goosebumps rise across his skin. The air was vibrating from the sound, only adding to his headache, but it was already in the back of his mind as the trees suddenly cleared away, replaced by a lone statue in the center of the clearing.

Wait, no; it wasn't a statue. Cian squinted against the light, shielding his eyes with a hand as he took in the thing before him. It was a giant _tuning fork._

"What the..."

The light faded, sending his world into darkness. As the light returned a beat later, Cian had to stop himself from letting out a yelp as he came centimeters away from smacking his face into a tree. He stayed behind it, noticing that the trees disappeared from then on. Though he hoped whoever placed that thing here believed their hiding spot to be perfect, he also knew it'd be stupid to blindly leave whatever cover he was given.

Leaning around the trunk of the tree, Cian studied the structure. Light was emanating from a round, swirling stone in the center of the handle, flashing in time with the bursts of sound. It was almost as if the stone was striking the tuning fork and creating the sound, though Cian couldn't see how that was possible. As far as he knew, there weren't any stones that could actually create _sound_. 

Guess the only way he could find out for sure was if he got closer.

On the next burst of light Cian looked around the area, trying to find any sign someone was guarding the thing or laid any traps. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he waited for the light to fade and slowly crept towards the tuning fork.

When he was in front of it and the stone began to twinkle, he barely had time to cover his ears and screw his eyes shut tight before it exploded in sound and light. His stomach rolled as the sound waves shoved against his skin and a groan slipped from his lips at the way his head pounded. When the sound turned into its quieter drone, he hesitantly removed a hand from his ear and grappled for the stone.

Fingers grabbing hold of the raised setting the stone was in, Cian gave an experimental tug only to let out a muttered curse when it didn’t budge. He tried to twist it, pushing and pulling in an attempt to get it to fall loose, but it seemed no matter what he tried it didn’t work.

“Ugh. Guess that means the stone isn’t really the cause…” He grumbled, wincing as the sound built back into a crescendo and covering his ears. He swallowed, panting as the nausea continued to grow; if he didn’t want to throw up, he’d have to hurry and shut this thing off.

He waited until the sound had almost faded away completely to open his eyes, searching for some sort of panel in the steel. Maybe the stone just controlled the light, instead of both light and sound like he thought, and there was a panel that controlled the rest.

Cian couldn’t find a panel, either.

“Dammit!” He growled, kicking the base of the statue and yelping, hands flying to cover his ears, as the metal clanged louder than he’d expected. “Ow….” He lifted a hand, bringing it into his line of sight as he checked for blood. His vision blurred, but no blood was on his hand so he assumed it was safe for now.

He couldn’t keep pushing his luck. Something was bound to happen, and Cian wasn’t keen on sticking around for when it did. But he couldn’t leave this machine going, either.

So he spent another five minutes searching, until he finally found what he was looking for: a small, almost invisible, panel, no more than a fingertip’s width, at the base of the structure.

It sunk in as he pressed it, a tiny ‘clink’ just barely able to be heard over the noise of the machine. More clinking and clanking came from the tuning fork, light in the stone flickering before fading as the hum whirred to a stop. The stone flashed three times in quick succession, the sound of a lock unlatching on the third flash. The stone rose from where it was embedded in the steel and dropped; Cian gasped as it fell, just barely managing to catch it before it hit the ground.

He sighed. “Well… Guess that settles that?”

“Hey! The machine’s down!”

Cian froze, heart lodging in his throat at the sound of a distant voice. Another voice joined the second and it spurred him into motion; he scrambled for Raps’ pokéball, haphazardly throwing the stone into his bag at the same time. Getting to his feet, Cian threw Raps’ pokéball into the air.

Raps let out a cry as he was released, but Cian quickly shushed him, stroking his muzzle instead. “We’re still in danger, bud. Think you can outrun them?”

Nickering softly, Raps shoved his muzzle into Cian’s hands and nibbled on them before starting forward towards the way Cian had come. Cian swung himself up onto Raps’ back before the Rapidash could get too far, clinging to his mane as he picked up speed.

\----

The machines kept popping up.

Johto’s police hadn’t thought anything of it, figured they were left over from the days Team Rocket or Team Dim Sun and were accidentally being activated by some of the baby pokémon in the area. Cian hadn’t stayed long to find out if they ever found more of them, though. With Raps being a Galarian Rapidash, they stuck out like a sore thumb and he couldn’t risk getting spotted by anyone who might’ve seen them running away.

So he went to a different region for the time being, only to find out within a couple days of arriving that they were having similar problems.

He told the police about what happened in Johto, but it was more a formality than anything; Cian had a feeling they would have about as much luck as the Johto police had. It would go much faster if he did it instead, especially since he’d already started getting an idea of where to look.

He traveled on Raps to where the machine seemed to be located and the second Raps got too uneasy to continue, Cian continued on foot while Raps rested safely in his pokéball.

It took him a lot less time to find the machine this time, now that he knew what to look for. Only this time, it didn’t stop there. He noticed something, further into the woods.

There was building.

Its windows were dark even in the failing light—he only noticed it due to how the setting sun lit up the area. It looked relatively new, a single story but still tall and imposing. Cian put his hand over Raps’ pokéball, rolling it around his fingers and taking comfort in its presence.

He crept towards it, keeping close to the trees in case there were any guards. His heart was pounding in his chest the closer he grew; his grip on Raps’ pokéball tightened.

The closer he grew to the building, the more uneasy he became. The air here was different than the rest of the forest: not quite buzzing with activity and terribly cold and stale. It had Cian shivering, even though the summer wind was warm as it brushed against his back.

A twig snapped beneath his foot and he slammed his back into the nearest tree trunk, heart clinging to his tongue and racing.

It was then a sound reached his ears, sharp and faint from the behind the walls of the building. Cian frowned, confused and worried as the sound continued. How had a pokémon gotten inside the building? It wasn’t out of the machine’s range: it should’ve run away with the rest.

Unless…

Cian’s stomach flipped at the indication and he shivered again. Had whoever created this place purposefully trapped a pokémon inside?

He need to save it.

Practically able to hear Raps chide him from his pokéball, Cian made his way towards the building’s door. He paused as he reached the entrance; there were no signs of people being in the area, but who knew whether or not the building was booby trapped?

The cry came again, broken and hurting. Cian felt any doubt he had fade: he was going in there, no matter what lay before him. Even if it was a trap, he couldn’t bear to leave even the possibility of an injured pokémon inside a place that screamed of terrible things.

“Okay,” He breathed, looking for any cameras in the failing light as he made his way around the perimeter of the building. “Okay, I’m actually going to do this.”

There were no doors around the back, but there was a line of windows. They were all sealed shut, sunlight glaring against the glass as he peered in. The rooms were filled with lab equipment and dismantled tuning fork machines, no people or pokémon in sight, but something about it made Cian uneasy.

Another cry; he couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

Cian walked back to the trees, looking for any fallen branches or rocks. When he finally found a branch that would break the window, he took a deep breath and aimed for the nearest window, biting his lip.

He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this.

He threw the branch as hard as he could, watching it spin through the air before crashing through the glass. It broke on impact, the branch knocking down what looked to be a microscope and beakers as it landed on a table. He winced as the beakers landed on the ground, shattering.

Cian ducked behind the tree he was next to, holding his breath and counting to ten. When no one came to investigate the noise, he made his way over to the broken window and, wary of the broken glass, climbed inside.

The air inside was crisp and smelled of chemicals. His breath fogged as he looked around the room at the steel walls and linoleum floors, dread filling his stomach. The tables in this room held more than just beakers and microscopes: he could see trays of silver metal glinting in the darkness: scalpels, scissors, and even more things Cian didn’t recognize.

Stomach churning, he left the room. He slowly made his way through the building, peeking into each room to see if the crying pokémon was inside. Instead he found things he didn’t want to think about. Not when he was trying to save a pokémon from the same fate.

Each new room had him picking up his pace, his fear for the pokémon only growing. He had yet to see any actual signs of recent activity, but he had a feeling this was only the beginning stages of whatever they were doing.

Cian made his way upstairs, winching at the way his footsteps echoed. The cry was getting louder the closer he got, echoing in the empty halls. “It’s okay,” He called out, doing his best to keep his voice low in case there was anyone around. “I’m almost there, don’t worry.”

The cry came louder, more desperate. Something tickled in the back of Cian’s mind, his uneasy skyrocketing as pain and fear blossomed there. It wasn’t his own, though he knew what was causing it: the pokémon must’ve been a psychic type.

At the end of the hall, where the cries were loudest, was a steel door, heavy and difficult to move even though it was already ajar. Cian grunted as he leaned against it and winced as the metal shrieked against the floor. “Sorry!” Guess they didn’t want this to be easy.” He looked up as it opened enough he could slip through and froze at the sight before him.

It was a Ralts.

Trapped in a clear glass cage, its horn chipped and a cut on its leg that looked relatively fresh.

It was a living, _breathing_ pokémon.

And it was kneeling next to two Gardevoirs, unmoving where they lay splayed on the ground.

Cian saw red.

The Ralts cried louder at the sight of him, shaking as it placed its paws on the glass. The pained, frightened sound it made pulled Cian from his anger so fast it almost gave him whiplash, colors dancing behind his eyes at the sheer force of it.

“Hang on,” He said, rushing towards the control panel on the only side of the room not lined with cages.

He tried not to look at the others, afraid of what he might find if he did.

Though he wanted to get the Ralts out as fast as possible, the array of buttons in front of him made him hesitant to press anything: what if he pressed the wrong one and hurt the Ralts further?

“ _Top left. Yellow.”_

Cian froze at the voice echoing slightly in his head, looking over his shoulder at the Ralts. “You know which button it is?”

The Ralts nodded, whimpering. It pushed against the glass and let out another cry.

“Alright then… Here we go.” Taking a deep breath, Cian pressed the small yellow button. He tensed as a click filled the air, waiting a moment before turning around. Tension bled from his shoulders when he saw the glass panel keeping the cage shut open with a hiss, the Ralts tumbling out a moment later.

Cian ran over to the small pokémon, holding it carefully in his arms. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” He whispered, rubbing its back as it clung to him. “I’ll get you out of here.”

\----

“And they just kept coming,” Cian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as his friends stared at him in stunned silence. “They’ve been popping up all over the place; Johto, Kanto, Unova, Sinnoh… I haven’t seen anything in Hoenn but I wouldn’t be surprised they started taking up residence there, too.”

He pulled one of the pokémon eggs he’d rescued from the lab in Sinnoh from his bag, holding it up in the shrunken incubator. “I saved this guy and a couple others just this week, from a lab in Sinnoh.”

Pressing a button on the side of the incubator, it expanded to full size. Raihan’s jaw dropped and Sonia gasped, rushing over to take the incubator carefully in her hands. “Whoa, it’s even cooler in person!” She said, looking at the rainbows and silvers of the egg.

“Yeah, well, it and two of its friends were all that were left after the lab got a hold of them.”

“So you’re telling us,” Leon began, something like a cross between worry and awe in his eyes, “That you’ve been spending the past five years committing crimes against an unknown villain who’s gaining power in every region?”

Cian nodded, not meeting his eyes as he said, “Yeeeeaah, pretty much.” He looked down and quietly said, “I couldn’t just leave it.”

“Of course you couldn’t!” Raihan said, snapping from his shock and walking over to see the egg with Sonia. “I mean, you’re _Cian_ , you hate seeing pokémon suffer.”

“We all do,” Sonia agreed, looking over at Cian with sad eyes. “And if what you saw in those labs is really happening…” She ran a hand over the incubator, gnawing at her lip a bit. “Then it’s no wonder you’ve been doing all that.”

Cian almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He thought they’d be, well, _mad_ at him. What he was doing was dangerous, possibly against the law since it should really be the police doing this, and yet, they didn’t seem to think much of it.

“Yeah, exactly what Sonia said!” Hop said after a moment, grinning at Cian. “Though…” His grin faded into a frown and he placed a hand on his chin in thought. “I don’t know why the police haven’t been more worried about this. I mean, they listened to your concerns, right? And you told them about the dead pokémon?”

At Cian’s silence, all four of his friends turned to stare at him.

“Cian,” Leon said slowly, “You _did_ tell the police about the dead pokémon, _right?_ ”

“Um. Well…” Cian rubbed the back of his neck, kicking at the ground. He was already bracing for their shouts, sucking in air between his teeth as he shrugged a shoulder. “Not… exactly.”

“ _Cian!”_

He winced at their unanimous shout, tugging at a strand of his hair and eyes back to the ground. “I couldn’t risk it, okay? I don’t even know who I’m up against here!”

Strained silence filled the air, four sets of eyes baring into Cian’s skin. He fidgeted beneath their stares, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the floor. “I know it’s dangerous, but the police are practically useless in this situation: I trust officer Jenny and the rest of the police, you know I do, but none of them really understand what’s happening here. They just—just think it’s like all the past times: an idiot organization that can constantly be beaten by ten-year olds, Maybe some pokémon-nappers.

“They have no idea how bad this really is,” Cian lifted his head, meeting each pair of eyes with steely determination. “And I’m pretty sure there might be some moles in their ranks. So I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

No one else said a thing, though they exchanged wary glances with each other. Cian didn’t move. He’d expected this, really. He’d never been the type to fall head-first into things like this, and he wasn’t a strong trainer—not anymore, at least. “I may not be a fan of battling,” He said, catching their attention again and laughing a bit as he continued. “Hell, I may not even be that strong of a trainer.”

Motioning to Charizard and Raps then pointing to the egg Sonia was still cradling in her arms, he said, “But I owe it to them to see this through. Especially now.”

The worry didn’t fade from his friends’ eyes, but Cian could tell the judgement had faded. Leon looked resigned.

After a moment of silence Cian decided the topic had gone on long enough. “Well, anyway,” He began, rubbing the back of his neck again as he gave the group a shy smile. “You guys still haven’t met everyone.”

Raihan frowned. “What, did you name the other eggs?”

“No,” Cian laughed, shaking his head. He reached into his bag and pulled out Riv and Kane’s pokéballs. “I meant that Raps and I have some new traveling buddies.”

“Oh, neat!” Hop cheered before running out of the lab and screeching to a halt beside Raps and Charizard. He turned to face the others, waving and beckoning them outside.

Exchanging amused smiles with the rest, Cian and the others headed out to join them.


End file.
